DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF BECCA FITZPATRICK... HUSH HUSH

RIXON IS VERY OOC... I REALIZE THIS AND WHILE I LIKE TO KEEP THEM AT LEAST SOMEWHAT IN CHARACTER I KNOW THAT HE ISN'T. IN THE SAGA NORA COMES BETWEEN PATCH AND RIXON IN A DIFFERENT WAY THEN IN THIS STORY, BUT THE BASE OF IT IS THE SAME. I THINK THIS RIXON STARTED OUT NOT BEING SO NICE, BUT TIME HAS CHANGED HIM AND HE HAS SOME REGRETS...

2 CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY :) FEELING ACCOMPLISHED

CHAPTER 13

"HI"

"Hi."

"Hi."

"You okay?"

"I'm with you," Nora tightened her legs around his waist, stroking his raven black hair. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Patch nodded slowly and took her lips back between his, moving his hips forward to thrust inside of her. She held his shoulders with one arm, the other weaved in his wavy locks. He started moaning into her mouth, purring under her touch. She pulled her lips away from his once she needed to breath, her hands cupping his face again, pulling it against hers so she could lock her soft gray eyes with his darkening black ones.

His eyes like the endless night sky bored into hers. It was in these moments that Nora unlocked her own feelings, let herself feel everything she felt for him. Loving him was dangerous; it was putting your heart on the line and preparing for it to get crushed over and over again. Patch would never bind himself to anyone and there would never be just one girl anymore, but she loved him long before he became this man. She loved him the moment he got his driver's license, the minute he lost his virginity, the second she saw him cry for the first time. It had been the first and the last time, he had barged into her room, tears rolling over his cheeks, his whole body shaking. And she took him in her arms without asking any questions, she held him and hasn't let him go of him since then.

"Patch."

"Me too." His grip on her legs tightened, his thrusts becoming more violent. "Nora."

She held him firmer in her arms as she reached her climax, holding onto his body while her walls pulsed around him, pulling him with her into her orgasm keeping hers going as she coaxed his out of him. Patch growled and buried his head into her neck while she placed a kiss on his temple and caressed his back as he came and came again having her tight cunt milking him till he was spent.

"I'm going to have dinner with my parents tonight." Nora whispered in his ear, holding him against her. "Vee came home from New York so..."

"Sure." Patch lowered her to the ground, holding her in place. "Do you need someone to drive you there?"

"No." She shook her head, biting her lip. "We're going to some expensive restaurant; they're sending their driver to pick me up."

"Of course they are."

"Hey." She turned his face back to hers when he looked away. "I'm only going because Vee's going to be there and I haven't seen her in months."

"I know." He stroked her cheek affectionately. "I get it; they won't let your sister near you so you have to go."

"I just want to see her again and talk about going to the university in New York."

"I get it, Angel." He held her face in his hands, placing a kiss on top of her head. "Don't worry about me. Go and try to have fun."

She smiled at him, pushing her body against his under the beads of water. She reached up and pushed her lips against his one last time, tasting the inside of his mouth, moaning harder with every lip-lock. He growled when a loud knock on the door rumbled through the loft.

"That's Rixon." He pulled away from her, rolling his eyes. "Even in his knock he manages to sound broody these days."

Nora shook her head as he pecked her lips one last time and got out of the shower, drying himself quickly before grabbing his pants and pulling them on. She rolled her eyes at the lack of underwear and turned to the bottle of shampoo in the corner of the shower.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes."

"Okay." She put some shampoo on her hand. "I'm just going to wash my hair."

He walked out the bedroom and grabbed his phone from the night table, quickly browsing through his new messages while walking to the front door. He pulled it open and was met with the green eyes of his brother. Rixon didn't bother to wait for an invite to come in and walked past him to the kitchen.

"Good morning, brother." Patch threw his phone on the table. "Why so rushed?"

"Can I drive with you to work?" He threw his arms up in the air, defeated. "My car broke down."

"When are you going to buy a new car, Rix?" Patch rolled his eyes in annoyance. "The thing is in the shop more than on the road."

"I don't have the money to buy a new car." Rixon sent him an evil glare. "Not everyone makes as much money as you do."

"No, but you still have a sugar daddy." Patch pushed his finger into his brother's chest. "So use his money before he disowns you like he did with me."

"Who's in the shower?" Rixon looked away from him, changing the subject. "One of your one-night stands?"

"No." He smirked devilishly, walking into the kitchen. "It's Nora."

Rixon's green eyes went wide, scanning over Patch's damp hair, the few drops that still ran down his abdomen. He quickly looked away as the realization hit him, he had known all along about his brother and Nora, but that didn't mean he wanted it to get rubbed into his face.

"Maybe if you would man up and ask her on a date since you are both adults now," Patch poured himself a cup of coffee. "She would be in your shower and you would finally know what it's like to be inside of her and have her naked skin against yours while she screams your name."

"Stop it, Patch."

"That's what you want, isn't it?" He cocked his head to the side, watching his brother shuffle uncomfortably. "You want to tell her you love her and hold her at night, have a couple of kids with her."

"That's more than you'll ever give her."

"Very true." He pointed his mug at Rixon, chuckling. "So while you grow some balls, I'll just keep on fucking her."

"Are you arguing again?" Nora walked into the kitchen, her damp hair pulled up into a ponytail. "Hi, Rixon."

"Hi, Nora." He stammered, biting his lip. "You look beautiful today, like any day."

She smiled at him and quickly walked into the kitchen, keeping her eyes on the floor. She could appreciate Rixon's innocent nature, his naïvety and charm. But he wanted her heart, wanted her to love him and make him her husband. She had always known that he wanted more from her, the whole time they were growing up and during puberty he had almost totally pushed her away almost lost her as a friend by his possessive nature with her especially concerning Patch it was heated and their parents didn't help matters, now he wanted to just give her more than his brother would ever give her, but just because her body was technically single didn't mean that her heart was, it had an owner, an owner that would never claim it as his but that didn't mean that it was for the taking no matter how sweet or charming Rixon had become.

"Coffee." A smile came across her lips while she took Patch's mug out of his hands and sipped on it. "Ew, it's black."

"Of course it's black." Patch rolled his eyes, grabbing the mug back. "Have you never heard the expression; once you go black, there's no way back?"

"I don't think they meant coffee." She pecked his lips, ruffling his damp hair. "But you're cute for trying."

"I am not cute." He glared at her, pointing his finger at her smile. "I'm everything but cute."

"Come here." Nora grabbed his chin and rubbed her thumb over Patch's lips. "You got lipstick on you."

"Since when do you wear lipstick?"

"Since today is the day I have that professor that doesn't give grades on your performance but on the way you look instead."

"Oh." His onyx eyes went wide in amusement. "Maybe you should give the naughty professor a real performance instead of writing all those essays. You know the ones, like you give me." The thought flickered through his mind for a moment of hunting this professor down if he so much as glanced inappropriately at his girl.

"I'm not you." She narrowed her eyes at him, pouring milk in his coffee. "I don't sell my body for good grades, I actually like using my brain."

"Well, if he swings both ways I'll do him." He pouted his lips together, frowning down his nose. "Anything to get you through school." Patch teased her.

"I'll hold you to that." Nora held her pinky finger up, grabbing his coffee. "Pinky promise me."

"Guys." Rixon leaned on the other side of the granite counter. "Are you two going to the fundraiser?"

"We're still undecided." Nora sipped on the coffee. "It depends, if Patch really has to be there for his job, we'll go."

"And I really hope not."

"And he really hopes not and he usually gets his way," She exchanged a look with a smug looking Patch. "So don't count on us."

"But our parents want us to be there, all members of the founding families should be there."

"They don't count me as their family anymore, Rixon." Patch walked out of the kitchen into the bedroom. "So why would I go there to make them look good?"

"We owe it to them, Rixon."

"I don't owe them a goddamn thing."

"Excuse me, Miss." Nora leaned over the small desk, pulling the attention of the young girl behind it. "Has Harrison Grey and his family already arrived?"

"Yes." The girl stood up and took a menu. "They told me that they were expecting company, please follow me."

She nodded quietly and walked behind the petite girl, moving between the tables of laughing families, business associates, friends. Her stomach filled with nervous butterflies once she saw her parents sitting at a table, a tall blonde guy sitting at the same table, nodding at everything they said to him. Her father pointed his chin to her once he saw her approach, which made her mother turn around and stand up.

"Nora." Blythe Grey wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We're so glad you could make it."

"Hi, Mom." She hugged her back, looking over her mother's shoulder at her father. "Hi, Dad."

You could cut the tension with a knife, Nora had turned her back on these people five years ago and until today they never let her forget about it. She didn't get warm welcomes or smiles anymore, usually they gave her the cold shoulder because she had made the choice to step away from them. A choice that had let her be with Patch, but made her lose her family. They didn't agree with that choice, they never would and she never thought they would actually come to accept it. Not that she cared, it wouldn't change her, but it still hurt that even after their successes their family's still found them a disgrace. All because they didn't marry who they had picked out for them.

"Nora." He nodded firmly and pointed his hand to the man beside him. "May I introduce you to Tristan Miller?"

"Nice meeting you." She extended her hand. "I'm Nora."

"Tristan." He shook her hand and smiled warmly. "It's nice meeting you, may I say you look beautiful?"

"Thank you, Tristan." She smiled shyly and let her gaze switch between her mother and father. "Where's Vee?"

"I don't really know where Vee is at the moment." Her mother smiled and motioned for her to sit down. "Let's start on the first course, yes?"

"But she's coming, right?" Her voice pitched, her eyes looking for her mother's brown ones. "You said she would be here and I want to hear her stories about New York."

"I'm sure you'll hear them, sweetie." Blythe pushed her down on the chair. "Let's eat."

Nora tried to make herself comfortable and started picking on the food that was placed in front of her, looking at the entrance every five seconds to see if her sister had arrived. She glanced at Tristan who sat nervously beside her, her parents keeping their eyes trained on the two of them at all times. The longer they sat there, the more she got the feeling that her parents were up to something she wouldn't agree with.

"So Nora," Her mother smiled, glancing at the man beside her. "Did you know that Tristan works for that new firm in town, he's an architect."

"Really?" She looked at Tristan beside her, trying her best to sound interested. "I'm sure that's really interesting."

"Yeah..." He nodded, smiling at her. "I just hope that the firm starts making money, we're new here so we still have to make a name for ourselves otherwise I won't be able to keep my job."

"Wait." She jumped up in her chair, her gray eyes sparkling. "Is it the new firm next to the Starbucks? My friend is setting up a campaign for them."

"That's possible." Tristan sat straighter in his chair, sipping on his glass of wine. "Does your friend work for Angelo Salvo?"

"He does." She nodded, laughing warmly. "I saw the campaign, I think you"ll get to keep your job. He said you were lucky because they wanted some newbie to do it because they have too much work, but one of the firms they were working for went bankrupt so he got your account instead."

"But if the firm went bankrupt?" Tristan arched his eyes, smiling softly. "Then how can I trust your friend?"

"It wasn't Patch's fault." She rolled her eyes, biting her lip. "You're lucky he didn't hear that or he would rip your head off."

"Nora, honey." Her mother grabbed her hand, giving her a disapproving look. "Let's not talk about Patch tonight, okay?"

"Why not?" The smile fell off her face. "Why can't we talk about Patch?"

There had been a time when Patch had been everything to them, a time when they could picture him as the perfect son-in-law. But that time never came and Patch didn't do what they wanted him to do, instead he chose the other way and did his own thing, not marrying Vee. Then he didn't marry Dabria either. Her parents would never accept his choice, neither would his. He became the forbidden subject in every conversation and the only reason why he was still invited to all the events, was because the Cipriano's wanted to keep up appearances.

"It's not an appropriate subject." Blythe smiled tightly, trying to soothe her. "How's everything at school?"

"You mean the school that Patch is paying for because you refused to?" She cocked her head to the side, smirking. "It's going great, I'm already getting job offers and Patch is really proud of me."

"Stop defending him, Nora." Harrison punched his fist on the table. "The boy's a disgrace to his family and he's a disgrace to us."

"Because he didn't marry either of the people you wanted him to marry?" Her eyes went wide, her teeth clenched together. "Or because he didn't step into the business with you and Mr. Cipriano?"

"I apologize for my daughter's behavior, Tristan." Blythe pointed her attention at him. "She went through a difficult period, thanks to this Patch guy who she had a crush on when she was younger, her life became a mess, but she's getting it back on track."

"He's not 'this Patch guy', he's Patch." She threw her napkin on the table. "And I'm not going through a difficult period."

"No, because you are ready to find yourself a suitable husband and start a family." Blythe locked her eyes on hers. "You're going to move back home and stop those photography classes, instead you're going to business school so you can take your father's place in a few years."

"It's journalism, Mom." She let out a hard laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's how much you care about my life, you don't even know that I want to become a journalist?"

"Nora, calm down."

"No, Nora." The velvet voice came from behind her. "Please throw a fit."

She turned around on her chair, her ash eyes locking with the coal ones she knew all too well. He smirked at her and in that moment she felt safe again, comfortable in her own skin because she knew it'd be okay, they'd get through this. Ever since they left together five years ago, they became an invincible team, he had her back when her family tried to push her into something and she was there to get him out of the room when his family was insulting him. Five years ago they walked out of that room together and they silently promised each other that they would stick together. "Patch." She shook her head at him, scanning over his tensed body. "Why are you here?"

"Vee called my apartment," His eyes locked onto hers and back to her parents. "She said she would be here in three days."

"You have no right to interrupt this family dinner." Harrison stood up, moving in front of Patch. "This is none of your business, this is between us and our daughter."

"This isn't a family dinner and she isn't your daughter anymore, you said so five years ago." Patch pushed her father out-of-the-way and grabbed Nora's coat from her chair.

"Come on, I'm taking you home."

"Nora." Her father turned around to her. "I can forgive you for five years ago because you were young and when you're young, you make mistakes. But you're a smart girl, this is your last chance, if you're going with him then you're not a part of this family anymore."

"It was nice meeting you Tristan." She looked at the baffled man beside her and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I owe you a coffee for all this drama."

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a tight smile and shook her hand. "It was nice meeting you too."

"Nora." Her mother stood up, her eyes hardening. "Don't do this. You're making the wrong choice."

"I made the right choice five years ago." She took her coat from Patch and grabbed her bag from the floor. "So I'm going to make it again."

She turned on her heels and started walking between the tables to the exit, Patch's hand supporting her lower-back while they left the same way they left their parents behind five years ago. She had to blink her eyes once the cold air hit her face and made it harder for her to keep her tears back.

"It's really not something worth crying about." Patch stood on the sidewalk beside her. "They should be the ones crying."

"They used Vee to set me up with some guy I've never heard about." She spun around and came to face him. "They're trying to do the same thing to me as they did to you."

"They're trying to get to you and they're trying to control you." He took her shoulders and locked their eyes. "This is what we walked away from five years ago."

"But why don't they leave us alone?" She stomped her foot, tears rolling over her cheeks. "If they don't agree with us than the least they can do is leave us alone."

"They want to show their power." He wrapped his arms around her shaking body, holding her closely. "Don't let them have power over you, don't let them get to you."

"Using Vee is just a really low blow." She hugged him tightly, hiding her face against his leather jacket. "I need coffee."

"I'll buy you coffee."

"That's why you're my best friend."

"Because I know when you need coffee?"

"No," Nora looked up at him, doing her best to give him a warm smile. "Because you have the money to buy me coffee."

"It's a good thing you're already crying," Patch tapped her nose and shook his head in amusement. "Or I'd make you cry for that comment."

"I know." She pecked his cheek and placed her head back down against his shoulder. "I took advantage of the fact that you can't stand to see me cry."

"If you keep on insulting me, then I won't buy you coffee."

"I wasn't insulting you." She looked up at him with her most innocent eyes, playfully smiling. "I was commenting on your ability to be mushy and caring."

"You really don't want me to buy you coffee, do you?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his side while he wrapped his arms around her body and held her close against him. He was the only one that was able to comfort her at moments like these, when she thought the world around her was falling apart, Patch managed to put a smile on her face within five seconds. It was one of the reasons why she chose to go with him five years ago, because he was the foundation of her happiness, he was the rock that stood behind her to make her strong, to make her reach things she never thought possible. In the twenty years they had known each other, he became everything to her, and to this day, he still was.

"Do you regret it?" His intelligent black eyes looked down on her. "The choice you made, do you regret it?"

"No." Nora shook her head, shrugging. "It may have had consequences that I don't like but I don't regret going with you."

"I took you away from your family."

"You are my family." She placed her hand on his cheek, stroking it softly. "You were there more when I grew up than my parents ever were."

"You were a cute kiddo." He placed a kiss on top of her head, grabbing her hand in his. "Besides, even if I wanted to get away from you, you still clung to my leg."

"And you became so tired of it that you picked me up and carried me over your shoulder."

"You made me carry you." He pushed his finger against her chest, shaking his head. "I still remember that time when you were fourteen and your mother bought you your first pair of heels. You twisted your ankle and I had to carry you, but you made me tell everyone we were playing bride and groom."

"You promised me you would never speak of that again," Nora swatted him, turning away from him. "You know I don't like it when you tell embarrassing stories about me."

"I haven't even reached the embarrassing ones," He threw his arms up, his eyes wide open. "Do you remember the first time you got your period?"

"Patch." She pointed her finger at him, warning him with her eyes. "Do not go there."

"Now, that was embarrassing."

"My mom never told me about it," She stomped her foot, glaring at him. "I didn't know what was going on."

"You asked me to put a bandage on it," Patch walked past her, shaking his head at the memory. "You thought you were going to bleed to death."

"And do you remember how embarrassing it was for you when you had to explain to me the whole thing?" Nora crossed her arms over her chest, stomping after him. "You were the one who had the talk with me."

"One of the many examples that show how incompetent your parents are."

"I'll never forgive you for bringing this up again," Nora hit his shoulder while walking into the bar, a pout on her face. "Not even your smile is going to get you out of this one."

"Matt, give Nora a latte and some extra cookies." He plopped down on the stool at the bar, rubbing his eyes. "And a bourbon for me."

She followed Matt's body as he made her a latte and poured a glass of Bourbon for Patch. Her dove eyes occasionally wandered into Patch's direction, she smiled softly as she saw him bury his head in his hands, his skin paler than normal, dark circles under his eyes, his black hair messy.

"You okay?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "You look tired."

"I had a long day." He looked up at her, his tired eyes focusing on hers. "But I'm fine."

"You work too much."

"Well, someone has to pay for your education."

"Patch." She shook her head, grabbing his shoulder. "If I need to work more shifts here at the bar then you can just tell me, I don't want you to have to worry about money because you're paying for my school. Even if you weren't paying for it, or over work yourself to death because of me or feeling responsible for me. I am an adult now I can look out for myself some too." Nora said as she gave him a wink knowing she meant more than just paying for schooling.

"I don't have to worry about money, okay?" Patch squeezed her hand, smiling softly. "And you don't have to work more than you already do, you have to study and make sure that you pass at the end of the year."

"I will pass." She sipped on her latte, smiling. "I promise."

"I know you'll pass, you're a good student," He downed his bourbon, fixing his midnight eyes on her smoky ones. "You always were."

"Speaking about being a good student," She put her cup back down on the wooden counter. "I still have an essay to write so I should go home."

"Won't Bella and Shadow be there?" He arched his eyebrow at her, retrieving his key from his pocket. "You can't stand noise around you when you're writing."

"I'll manage." Nora sighed, lifting her shoulders. "It's due tomorrow so I'll have to make it work."

"Go to my place." Patch held his keys up for her. "I won't be there tonight anyway."

"Another girl?"

"Have you seen the blonde in the corner?" He smiled smugly, pointing his head to the corner of the bar. "She's been checking me out since we got here."

"Have fun." She grabbed the keys and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Be safe."

"I always am," He rolled his eyes at her, smirking. "We wouldn't want any mini-Patch's walking around, would we?"

"That's not what I meant." She grabbed her purse and swung it over her shoulder. "Just make sure you get home in one piece, that's the way I prefer you."

"Talking about being safe," He grabbed his wallet and handed her a few bills. "Take a taxi."

"I can walk home, Patch."

"It's not safe to walk alone at this time at night." He put the money in her hand and closed it. "Take a taxi and text me when you get home."

"Yes, Mister overprotective," She rolled her eyes, nudging him. "Bring bagels with you when you come home in the morning."

He nodded and she started walking towards the door, turning around with the handle of the door in her grasp. She watched as he approached the blond girl, a predator going for it prey, the blond looked up and immediately smiled at him. He had that effect on all the girls, could get any girl he wanted and she had to watch him take them from a distance. She had done it for the past five years and every time a new girl ended up in his bed, it seemed to hurt a little bit more than it did the time before. Because with every new girl in his bed, a bit of her hope was chopped off, over the years her hope only faded away, the dream of having him as her husband, the craving to carry his children, it was now all buried deep inside of her, pushed to the bottom of her being because with every girl, that dream seemed a bit further out of reach than the day before.